Like a lot of other people, I thought it was interesting how the Sex Differences article began by articulating the difference between gender and sex. I think gender is definitely a weaker word to use in the realm of medicine because it implies something that is culturally constructed and variable according to social values. However, sex refers to the physiology of the human body and the way in which it functions. I had never before thought that sex could affect something as significant as the immune system.

The New York Times article was extremely frightening because I consider myself healthy and the thought that I could be predisposed to something as serious as heart disease seems difficult to accept. This is a major reason why such research should continue and be communicated to the public. If it hard for people to swallow themselves, I can see how it could lead Kachmann-Geltz to be treated like a crazy woman.